The week | Stories from March 1-7

A Marine Corps jet's deadly crash in University City in December could have been averted if the pilot and ground crew had followed emergency rules for landing at North Island Naval Air Station and if the plane had been removed from service when mechanics found a fuel problem, Marine officials said Tuesday.

Lt. Dan Neubauer's decision to bypass North Island and head toward Miramar Marine Corps Air Station over populated areas has been widely criticized. The crash killed a woman, her two daughters and her mother.

A half-hour before the crash, Neubauer shut down one of the jet's two engines because fuel wasn't flowing to it. Marine officials defended the decision at first, saying no one could have expected the second engine to fail. They reversed their stance Tuesday.

“Landing at North Island was the prudent and correct decision to make,” Marine Col. John Rupp said. “Unfortunately, that decision was never made.”

No criminal charges are pending, but four officers from Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 have been relieved of duties, basically ending their military careers. Marine Corps officials have grounded Neubauer while they review his flight status.

Historic home getschance to reopen

The historic Marston House in Balboa Park has a chance to reopen now that the Save Our Heritage Organisation has offered to operate the city-owned home.

The 1906 house, a nationally registered historic landmark, was closed to visitors Feb. 15 after the San Diego Historical Society announced that it could no longer afford to run it.

SOHO, a nonprofit preservation group, operates the Whaley House museum in Old Town and thinks it can make the Marston House pay for itself with increased marketing and more events.

The group, which has a $600,000 annual budget, voted Monday night to pursue a lease with the city. SOHO would like to reopen the home as soon as possible.

The 8,500-square-foot Arts and Crafts home was built by George W. Marston, a giant in San Diego annals as a prominent merchant, philanthropist and founder of the historical society. His daughter willed it to the city in 1987.

Sea lion pup rescuedfor second time

A California sea lion pup waddled into the parking lot of a Chevy's Fresh Mex restaurant in Del Mar late Tuesday. It was the second time the little one has been stranded and rescued.

About a month ago, the sea lion was picked up in Solana Beach.

“That little rascal,” said Barbara Henkel, the Carlsbad woman who called police Tuesday after seeing the pup cross the four lanes of Via de la Valle about a mile from the ocean.

The sea lion, about a year old, was recuperating at SeaWorld in a pool with other rescued animals and seemed to be in good health. Veterinarians hope to release him back into the wild eventually.

While SeaWorld officials said they weren't surprised by the rescue – because young sea lions tend to get lost and confused – they added that it was rare for an animal to be rescued twice.

Padres roll back prices for 2009 to woo fans

The Padres announced price cuts on tickets, food and drink Tuesday. That $9 beer? Now it will be 50 cents less.

At a news conference at the Park at the Park, three Bud Lights were perched on a platform, then detonated with fireworks to make the point that higher prices were being blown up.

Across the nation, Major League Baseball teams are scrambling to woo recession-battered fans.

The Padres unveiled a menu of value meals. The “5 for $5,” available at every home game, consists of a regular-size hot dog, peanuts, popcorn, cookie and soda for $5. For an additional $5, fans can swap the soda for a 16-ounce draft beer. On weekends, fans can score an upper-level reserved ticket, a Coke and a hot dog for $12.

An all-you-can-eat pavilion will be established in right field during all games, with a menu of hot dogs, veggie dogs, nachos, popcorn, ice cream and soda. With an upper-level reserved seat, this will cost $28; with an upper box seat, $32.

Single-game tickets, which went on sale yesterday, will be the same price or lower than last season.

County's jobless rate rises to 8.6 percent

The jobless rate in San Diego County jumped to 8.6 percent in January – matching its highest level in at least two decades – as retail clerks, restaurant waiters and temporary workers hit the unemployment lines, according to data released Thursday by the state.

From December to January, the county lost 28,300 payroll jobs, according to the California Employment Development Department.

A large percentage of job losses came from seasonal layoffs, as retailers cut their work forces after the holiday shopping season. But the cuts hit every major industry in January, including such stalwarts as health care, private education and government.